Typically, gas turbine engines include a compressor for compressing air, a combustor for mixing the compressed air with fuel and igniting the mixture, and a turbine blade assembly for producing power. Combustors often operate at high temperatures that may exceed 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit. Typical turbine combustor configurations expose turbine vane and blade assemblies, to these high temperatures. As a result, turbine airfoils, such as turbine vanes and blades must be made of materials capable of withstanding such high temperatures. In addition, turbine airfoils often contain internal cooling systems for prolonging the life of the airfoils and reducing the likelihood of failure as a result of excessive temperatures.
Typically, turbine airfoils, such as turbine blades are formed from an elongated portion having one end configured to be coupled to an inner rotor assembly. The airfoil is ordinarily composed of a leading edge, a trailing edge, a suction side, and a pressure side. The inner aspects of most turbine airfoils typically contain an intricate maze of cooling circuits forming a cooling system. The cooling circuits in the airfoils receive air from the compressor of the turbine engine and pass the air through the root of the blade that is attached to the rotor assembly. The cooling circuits often include multiple flow paths that are designed to remove heat from the turbine airfoil. At least some of the air passing through these cooling circuits is exhausted through orifices in the leading edge, trailing edge, suction side, and pressure side of the airfoil. While much attention has been paid to cooling technologies, hot spots still occur in the airfoils. In turn, the conventional monolithic airfoils are configured to accommodate the highest heat loads on the airfoil. Typical materials capable of handling the high heat loads of the exhaust gases are often expensive and present manufacturing challenges.